Targeted Violence: Pre-Attack Behaviors and Indicators. Community College Risk Management Consortium David L. Young

Transcription

1 Community College Risk Management Consortium 2018 Targeted Violence: Pre-Attack Behaviors and Indicators David L. Young 17CORP

2 Categories of Violence Affective Motivated by anger or fear (indicated by facial expression and high emotion), Reactive or impulsive, Spontaneous passion. Example: A protective response to an unprovoked attack. Predatory Premeditated or planned in advance, Not precipitated by threat or spontaneous passion (expressionless), Example: School or workplace attack. (Meloy, 2006) Not mutually exclusive. 2

3 Predatory Violence Three Required Elements 1. The perpetrator intends well-beforehand to act violently, 2. The violence is not motivated by spontaneous passion, 3. The violence results in injury, death, or damage. In order to prevent an act of intended violence, the potentially aggressive individual must first be identified. (Calhoun & Weston, 2003) 3

4 2 Types of Predatory Violence Targeted Intended violence directed at an individual or location with symbolic significance. Examples: domestic partners, students, colleagues, public figures, school, courthouse, abortion clinic Opportunistic Intended violence directed at random individuals because of their location at the time of the attack or their attachment to the selected target location. Examples: students at school, colleagues at work, abortion clinic patients or providers. (Calhoun & Weston, 2003) 4

5 Leakage 5

6 Red Lake High School Red Lake, Minnesota March 21, 2005 Jeffrey Wiese: School Video Project 6

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10 Image from Wiese s postings on as todesengel 11

11 Threat Identification Identification is one of the most significant challenges. A two-fold process: recognition of concerning behaviors and reporting to law enforcement. 12

12 Common Motives of Perpetrators of Extreme Violence Extreme anger Perception of being persecuted Paranoid ideation Depressed mood Antisocial and narcissistic traits Real or perceived loss often related to employment or relationship Hempel, A., Meloy, J., and Richards, T. Offender and offense characteristics of a nonrandom sample of mass murderers. J Am Acad Psychiatry and the Law, Vol. 27, No. 2.,

13 Common Motives (continued) Pre-emptive strike Magnify and incubate insults Externalization of blame Hempel, A., Meloy, J., and Richards, T. Offender and offense characteristics of a nonrandom sample of mass murderers. J Am Acad Psychiatry and the Law, Vol. 27, No. 2.,

14 Pre-Attack Behaviors Some of these behaviors may include: Development of a personal grievance Contextually inappropriate and recent acquisition of multiple weapons Contextually inappropriate and recent escalation in target practice and weapons training Contextually inappropriate and recent interest in explosives and IEDs Drug and/or alcohol abuse 15

15 Pre-Attack Behaviors (Continued) Additional behaviors may include: Intense interest or fascination with previous active shootings or mass attacks Engagement with violent media, i.e. video games, movies, music, internet Prior to an attack, others were concerned by the attacker s behaviors But did not recognize significance Or failed to report to authorities Very few attackers issue direct threats against the targeted person or institution prior to the violent act. 16

16 Risk Enhancers Violence History Physical and Mental Health Weapons Access Problematic Behaviors Social and Environmenta l Warning Behaviors Signs of Imminence Triggers and Stressors 17

17 Other Risk Enhancers Personality conflicts Terminations Weapons possession in violation of policy Drug/Alcohol possession Marital problems/separation/divorce Child custody dispute Legal problems Emotional 18

18 Warning Signs Behaviors a teacher, student, co-worker, customer, or other person may notice in an individual triggering concern there might be a developing problem Also known as Leakage or pre-incident indicators Key to Early Warning recognition More warning signs correlates with an elevated level of risk. (Bardick, 2007) 19

19 Warning Signs Behavioral/Physical Clues Physical altercation/frequent fighting Inappropriate weapons possession or use Drawings and other creative outlets with persistent or intense violent themes Bullying or victim of bullying Possession of violent literature and information pertaining to known or suspected hate groups Inappropriate displays of emotion, particularly anger, depression, or rage Isolated and withdrawn Noticeable changes in behavior including hygiene or dress (Mohandie, 2002) 20

20 Warning Signs Verbal Behavior Direct or indirect threats Verbalizing a violent plan Recurrent suicide threats or statements Expressing a wish to kill, a wish to be killed, and a wish to die Threatens or brags about bringing a weapon to work/school Threatening/harassing phone calls or s Hopeless statements, depression Excessive profanity (contextually inappropriate) Challenging or intimidating statements Name-calling or abusive language (Mohandie, 2002) 21

21 Emotional Leakage (Inadvertent Disclosure) No Verbal Threat 22

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23 Inappropriate Contacts and Communications IC+Cs Threats Not necessarily specific or direct could be veiled or conditional Correspondences Involving death, suicide, or homicide Extreme/obsessive admiration Indicators that research and planning has been done References to previous attackers or victims Belief that there is direct communication, a relationship, debts owed Belief in a shared destiny or history Can be in any form, i.e. telephone, mail, , voic , text, SMS, morse code, etc. (California Highway Patrol, Special Investigations Unit in Calhoun & Weston, 2003) 24

24 Warning Signs Bizarre Thoughts Delusion: Belief in events not typically viewed as possible because of evidence to the contrary Persecutory delusions with self as victim: Sufferer is willing to do things to protect from real or imagined persecution Harm to reputation, mistreatment, being spied upon, plotted against Severe form of paranoia Paranoid: Believing others are conspiring to do the sufferer harm Command (auditory) hallucinations: hearing voices (there is danger when the voices command violence) (Mohandie, 2002) 25

25 Warning Signs Obsessions/Fixation Grudges & deep resentments: Often present in extreme violence scenarios Romantic obsessions: Stalking Love may turn to hate, shame, rage, and violence toward the love object May be triggered by perceived injustices, humiliations, disrespect At-risk individual focuses almost solely on how so-and-so has done them wrong or ruined their life Aggression Immersion Late step in moving from violent thought to action Repetitively listening to songs with violent lyrics; watch movies, or play video games with intensely violent themes (Mohandie, 2002) 26

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27 Threat Assessment Definition: Accurately and defensibly assess the threat posed by the subject of significant and imminent violence Accomplished by: Trained threat assessment professionals, teams, and/or units 28

28 Threat Assessment Gathering Information Police and Military Records School and Work Records Medical and Mental Health Records Communications and Journals Life and Relationships Social Media 29

29 Assessment Management Cycle Assess Threat Monitor and Evaluate Choose Intervention Implement Intervention 30

30 Risk Inhibitors Non-violent Alternatives Future oriented Healthy Selfesteem Coping mechanisms Access to resources Healthy Environment Support system 31

31 Profiling Prospective Templates overlaid upon a population or group in an attempt to predict who within that group might have an elevated potential to commit a specific type of crime. Retrospective An after-the-fact, case-specific analysis to define the personality and behavioral characteristics of the individual(s) who committed a crime or series of crimes. Real profiles 32

32 Goal of Assessment is to answer this question: Is there evidence to suggest movement from thought to action? -Intent, planning, preparation -Acquisition/practice with firearms (out of character) -Aggression immersion (late step in movement from thought to action) -Disregarding warnings to stay away (pre-attack surveillance?) 33

33 OR MORE SIMPLY: Does the individual POSE a threat, not simply whether the individual MADE a threat. (Borum, et al., 2004a) 34

34 Threat Assessment Team Law Enforcement Human Resources Security Legal Mental Health Social Services 36

35 Threat Assessment Team Who Should Not Be On The Team? - Treating Mental Health Professionals - Subjects of Threat Assessments - TAT Members Who Have Been Threatened or Harmed (Mohandie, 2002) 37

36 Threat Assessment Team - TAT leader should decide when to convene the team and be final arbiter - Each time the TAT convenes or a team member consults, document: - Date - Who was present - How the meeting was conducted (telephonic or in person) - Issues that were the focus of review - Sources of information reviewed - Level of concern for violence and justification why - Recommendations for future action/management strategies - Attempts to make appropriate referrals - Prosecutor or psychologist - Get information to staff (Mohandie, 2002) 38

37 Threat Assessment Team Team Member Responsibilities - Generally - Convene when a problem has been identified or on a monthly basis - More frequently if the situation dictates - Triage versus 360 degree assessment - Assess the veracity and severity of the threat. - Determine appropriate interventions, i.e. interviews, locating the POC, locating and warning target, third-party intermediary, suspension, termination. - Train employees in the early warning signs of a potential problem and reporting procedures. - Help to draft violence prevention policies and procedures and arrange for the team's own training and development. - The threat assessment team database acts as a warehouse of information containing past threats. - It prevents fragmentation of knowledge. (Mohandie, 2002) 39

38 Threat Assessment Team New Referrals New case referrals should be triaged asap to assess initial level of concern for violence. The initial assessment should also involve identification of needed resources and ad hoc team members Case predication: Threat or inappropriate communication indicative of violence Report of concerning or threatening behavior Recognition of warning behavior 40

39 Threat Assessment Team Team Member Responsibilities - Event - Have mechanisms in place for employees to report info - Publicize method and make it readily available - Information Gathering - The team will gather information regarding potential threats, then assess the individual s access, means, capacity, and opportunity for carrying it out (p. 103). - Interviewing - Conduct interviews of those with connections to the perpetrator and (potential) victims. - Assessment - The team will assess intent; actions taken toward executing the plan of violence. - Make decisions/management What should be done now vs. immediate future? - Who will manage the suspect? Human resources, LE, security, EAP, mental health provider - Monitoring - The team will then assess the individual s behaviors as they relate to efforts at risk-reduction or signs of escalation. 41

40 Threat Assessment Team New Florida Law Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act Requires every school in Florida to have a threat assessment team with expertise in mental health counseling, academic instruction, law enforcement and school administration to meet monthly to review any potential threats to students and staff at the school 42

41 Categorical Approach to Describing Risk Category 1 Individual is imminently dangerous to self or others and qualifies for immediate hospitalization or arrest. Category 2 Individual evidences high violence potential but does not qualify for hospitalization or arrest. Category 3 Insufficient evidence for violence potential, but sufficient evidence for the repetitive and/or intentional infliction of emotional distress upon others. (Mohandie, 2002) 43

42 Categorical Approach to Describing Risk Category 4 Insufficient evidence of violence potential, but sufficient evidence for the unintentional infliction of emotional distress upon others. Category 5 Insufficient evidence of either violence potential or the intentional infliction of emotional distress. (Mohandie, 2002) 44

43 Threat Management Definition: - Deliberate steps taken to minimize or mitigate the threat of violence Accomplished by: Developed by the Threat Management Team (TMT), implemented by many community stakeholders 45

44 Management Options 1 Active Direct Interview Third Party Monitor Watch and Wait Take No Further Action Passive 46

45 Management Options 2 Active Confinement Criminal Enforcement Civil Actions Administrative Actions Passive 47

46 Primary Research Sources 2002 FBI BAU Examined the pre-attack warning behaviors of attackers who targeted places of employment 49

47 Primary Research Sources 2017: FBI BAU Identifying, Assessing and Managing the Threat of Targeted Attacks Search Making Prevention a Reality and FBI 50

48 Targeted Violence: Pre-Attack Behaviors and Indicators Special Agent Dave Young (847)

49 Thank You! 17CORP